Staff Meeting #3: 11/29/2022

Our 3rd Blue Ribbon Committee meeting took place on November 29th.

The agenda is posted below as well as a summary of the information discussed and determined during that meeting.

SUMMARY OF THE 11/29 MEETING & THE ACTION PLANS

Now, having worked through both halves of the Blue Ribbon Committee, the team is in the final steps of establishing action plans to address our four target areas.

The general focus and objectives for those plans are summarized briefly below.

Target Area 1: EXCELLENCE IN PRACTICE: Build upon the cycle of teaching, learning, assessment, and data analysis to improve alignment with NJSLS and student performance by reviewing (and possibly redefining) curriculum scope and sequence and prioritizing skills and standards to maximize student growth and achievement.

GOALS/OBJECTIVES:

1. Work through curriculum courses to potentially redefine the scope and sequence of each course and prioritize skills and standards as needed to facilitate the growth we are aiming for.

2. Improve consistency and cohesion by creating horizontal articulation groups of teachers working in shared classes/grades to collaborate on formative and summative assessments, increase common language and expectations, etc.

3. Facilitate a smoother continuum across grade levels through vertical articulation across grades to streamline common language, expectations, placements, and skill growth.

Target Area 2: STUDENT ENGAGEMENT: Increase student engagement in school, both in class and outside of class, by continuing to develop engaging classroom learning activities, increasing the number of exciting school and district-wide activities to interest students, and embed more academic challenges and assemblies to improve the overall culture and climate.

GOALS/OBJECTIVES:

1. Continue to improve the level of engagement in every classroom so all kids are invested in daily learning.

2. Increase the number of engaging learning activities that extend outside of the classroom to make more real-world, authentic, relevant learning for all students.

3. Incorporate more school-wide and district-wide academic challenges and assemblies to make school a place where kids want to be and where they want to strive for success.

Target Area 3: ACADEMIC SUPPORTS: Build upon existing academic supports to tailor instruction, interventions, and assessments so they meet our diverse student needs by identifying and addressing learning gaps across grade levels, differentiate learning to meet personalized needs in the classroom, and explore ways to provide more inclusive classroom support for ELL students.

GOALS/OBJECTIVES:

1. Find additional ways to identify and then fill in learning gaps across grade levels and between the higher and lower learners in each grade/course.

2. Find additional ways to provide more English Language Learner support in our inclusive (all) classrooms.

3. Work on shifting differentiation towards a targeted "just in time teaching" approach to maximize learning acceleration and address gaps in the classroom.

Target Area 4: PROFESSIONAL CULTURE: Enhance and build upon the professional culture of the staff by finding additional ways to make time for the professional work that needs to be done, facilitating that time with purpose, targeting professional growth activities to support our growing ELL population, and utilizing a feedback system from staff for continued improvement.

GOALS/OBJECTIVES:

1. Find time and use it wisely. There is never enough time, but how do find, make, and cherish our time to make all of our goals and plans happen.

2. Since it comprises one of our largest targeted populations for supports, focus professional growth activities on supporting our ELL population and their culture as an integral part of our culture.

3. Make GOOD use of feedback survey mechanisms to collect ongoing input from staff on what is/is not working, what is/is not needed, etc.

Our Four Blue Ribbon Target Areas

We will work on:

• Reviewing curriculum scope and sequence, revising as needed, to maximize focus on priority areas.

• Using Benchmark and NJSLA data to identify grade/course areas of weakness and supplement those areas as needed.

• Facilitating vertical articulation to identify gaps, increase common language, and refine a natural skill continuum.

• Explore ways to continue elementary student learning portfolios through the middle and high school grades to support a stronger continuum of seamless growth.

• Facilitate horizontal articulation to increase common language, develop common rubrics, and find connections and additional supports.

• Explore ways to better utilize common time to build common rubrics, expectations, anchor charts, and processes as well as examine grading consistency across grades and departments.

We will work on:

• Identifying gaps that exist across grade levels and between student groups.

• Research, develop, and implement strategies to address those gaps throughout the school year and then clearly communicate them vertically to the next grade level in the transitional summer process.

• Increase formative assessment to enhance differentiation including better use of "as needed" scaffolds and remediation rather than whole group re-teaching.

• Brainstorm ways of increasing supports for struggling students, both individually and for identified groups.

• Explore ways to increase common planning time for teachers at all levels to allow for improved collaboration on these efforts.

• Provide training, coaching, and support for staff in the process of "just in time teaching" to differentiate for specific students or groups.

We will work on:

• Researching and sharing best practices for engaging students in classroom learning for different subjects and grade levels.

• Provide training, coaching, and support for staff on the topic of engaging learning, including (but not limited to) Socratic Seminar, fishbowl, centers/stations, project-based learning, and student-centered learning in general.

• Incorporating more academic challenges and assemblies for students and whole grades to engage students in attendance, participation, and positive behavior.

• Finding and implementing available trips, activities, etc. that take learning outside of the classroom to make learning more engaging and relevant. Research organizations and professions to establish more connections for virtual field trips for relevant learning.

We will work on:

• Find or make time within our professional day to pull teachers together in small groups or whole group to do the work needed to make change over time.

• Make sure that professional growth time for teachers is relevant, purposeful, goal-oriented, and organized.

• Make sure our professional learning activities support our greatest areas of need, including our growing ELL population. Explore ways to have all/most staff learn a second language together.

• Explore ways to infuse other cultural traditions and celebrations into our local traditions.

• Find ways to make our professional learning opportunities fun and engaging and improve our positive professional culture.

• Explore ways to increase common planning time for teachers at all levels.

• Make good use of survey techniques to collect ongoing input from staff on all areas of professional growth and culture.